Chapter 154 Poisoning Smallpox
Thinking about the arrangements for her family, Fanghua felt very happy. If the emperor wanted to scheme against her Hesheli clan, he would have to see if she was willing to do so.
"Your Majesty is right. As long as I live, they will all come to naught." Hearing the Empress's words, the Consort felt much of her pent-up frustration dissipate.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if you are aware of it?" Thinking of the news that the servants had brought a few days ago, the Imperial Concubine felt she should remind the Empress.
"What is it?" Fanghua, seeing her serious expression, also became nervous, straightened her posture, and asked.
"I heard that someone brought some dirty things into the palace from outside, but I don't know who these things are for." Originally, she thought that the matter had nothing to do with her and didn't care much.
Having received the Empress's favor today, I should offer some reminders.
"What dirty thing?" For some reason, Fanghua's heart skipped a beat.
"smallpox."
As soon as the Imperial Concubine uttered those two words, Fanghua stood up abruptly.
"How dare they?" Fanghua never expected them to be so bold as to bring smallpox into the palace. Who were they trying to harm?
She closed her eyes briefly. "Do you know whose people they are?"
The Imperial Concubine shook her head. "I don't know. It was my servant who discovered it by chance and immediately reported it to me. However, without any evidence, I don't know who they are targeting."
But she had some suspicions in her heart. If the palace used smallpox to harm people, it certainly wouldn't have been an ordinary palace servant.
Otherwise, there would be no need for something as dangerous as smallpox.
There aren't many women in the harem who block one's way.
"Hmph, it seems I've been too merciful, making people think I'm easy to bully. Consort, if you have nothing else to do, you should go back early. I want to see how many monsters and demons are hiding in this harem."
Although she was immune to smallpox because of the magic spring water, that was not a reason for them to harm her and her child.
The Imperial Concubine knew that if she stayed any longer, she would truly become an enemy. "Yes, Your Majesty, please be careful."
"I understand, I will remember this favor."
After seeing the Imperial Concubine off, Fanghua immediately ordered Qiaoling and Li Changfu to search Kunning Palace. As long as the items hadn't entered Kunning Palace, everything would be fine.
She had time to prepare before she even came in.
Smallpox; it seems she should give some credit to her own people.
Fortunately, heaven gave her time. After a thorough investigation, the evil thing did not enter Kunning Palace, which made Fanghua very happy, since she had time to prepare.
"Xiao Feng".
As soon as Xiao Feng heard her master calling, she immediately appeared in the space.
"Master, your favorite little phoenix is here." The little phoenix flew around in space once, then landed on the roof of the thatched roof. "What did you call me for, Master?"
This guy is getting more and more childish; I really don't know who he learned it from.
Fanghua didn't have time to ask questions; as long as it was happy, that was all that mattered. She felt truly guilty that her little phoenix was imprisoned inside the little parrot's body.
She'll accept any minor flaws generously, since it's her own soul beast after all.
"Do you have any way to cure smallpox?" Fanghua asked, voicing her thoughts.
Smallpox has changed drastically in the Qing Dynasty. If Xiao Feng can come up with a simple treatment, it would be a great merit for her.
"Yes, one pill will cure the disease. But why did you think of this thing, Master?" Xiao Feng was very puzzled. Master and the little masters have been drinking spiritual spring water since they were young, so it was impossible for them to be infected with smallpox.
If the owner is so concerned, then someone must be plotting against him using smallpox.
"No pills, just give me a prescription this time, preferably one without any space-related medicinal herbs." Fanghua didn't know if Xiaofeng had any, but she felt that with Xiaofeng's abilities, it wouldn't be too difficult for it.
Xiao Feng shook her little head, then opened her mouth and spat out a burst of karmic fire, which made Fang Hua's mind go blank.
However, after the burning, she felt a sense of clarity return to her mind.
"Master, we've found it."
Although Fanghua didn't know what the thing she was looking for had to do with her fire-breathing, she knew better than to pry into other people's business.
Then he laughed and said, "I knew Xiao Feng was the best."
Before long, a divine soul entered Fanghua's mind.
It contains several prescriptions for the prevention and treatment of smallpox.
After accepting, Fanghua opened her eyes, thanked Xiaofeng in her mind, and then exited the space.
Xiao Feng opened its innocent big eyes and rolled them around, then closed its eyes and its soul left its body and exited the space.
Outside, Fanghua had someone prepare paper and ink, and soon she wrote down two sheets of the prescription in her mind.
One is for prevention, and the other is for treatment.
"Call Li Changfu in." After writing and drying the paper, Fanghua said to the person serving her.
Soon someone went out to summon him. Li Changfu was always efficient, and he came over quickly.
"Your Majesty, may I ask what brings you here?" Li Changfu asked, puzzled, as he had just been here.
Fanghua handed over the prescription, saying, "Prepare the ingredients for this prescription, decoct it, and give it to everyone in Kunning Palace. Remember, once a day for three days."
She gave a preventative remedy; drinking it would effectively prevent smallpox. Of course, it would also prevent smallpox if the skin came into contact with the infected person, but it couldn't be prevented if there were any open wounds.
Li Changfu was puzzled, but remembering what the Empress had asked him to investigate, he knew what she was worried about.
"Yes, this servant will keep a close eye on everyone." Li Changfu knew how serious this matter was and dared not be careless in the slightest. He wanted to personally oversee this matter.
"Yes, that would be best. Oh, and send a copy to the Imperial Concubine as well, so she won't let the news leak out." Now that she has a means of defense, we should naturally thank her.
Although Li Changfu didn't understand, he knew the meaning of obedience. Since the Empress had spoken, he could only do as she said.
"yes."
After Li Changfu left, Fanghua took out another prescription and beckoned Qiaoling to come forward.
"Find a way to send this prescription out of the palace and give it to Doctor Wu. He will know what to do once he sees it."
Doctor Wu, whose full name is Wu Ming, was her backup plan left outside the palace, and was also a person with excellent medical skills.
He was ambitious but lacked connections, and he didn't want to be an ordinary doctor. So, Fanghua used his brother, Nai Xiong, to bring this man onto her boat.
He was tied up like that for three years; I wonder if he ever got impatient waiting.
Qiaoling naturally knew Doctor Wu. She had heard from the Empress's wet nurse brother that he was not only a good doctor, but also very skilled in health preservation.
She thought the Empress was keeping this person to leave to the princes, but she never expected the Empress to entrust her with such an important task now.
She had participated in the investigation of the entire palace beforehand, so she knew how serious it was.
If this person seizes the opportunity this time, he will soar to great heights, and it will not be difficult for him to become the head of the Imperial Hospital in the future. Perhaps the emperor will even reward him handsomely.
After all, smallpox was something that the Qing Dynasty feared greatly.
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will deliver this item safely to Doctor Wu."
Qiaoling solemnly accepted the light-looking prescription, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds once she held it in her hand.
Seeing Qiaoling's expression, Fanghua felt somewhat helpless. "The prescription is still not as important as you people," she said, trying to comfort her.
"Alright, go ahead. The palace is about to get lively." Now that we've secured our defenses, we should investigate who brought this smallpox virus into the palace.
If it's really aimed at her, she won't hold back. People like that should be dealt with as soon as possible.
This wait lasted for three days.
For three days, all the servants in Kunning Palace drank medicine to prevent smallpox, including her and her child.
Such a big move couldn't be kept secret, and she didn't intend to hide it anyway. She simply said that the weather was unpredictable and these medicinal juices were used to prevent illness.
When Emperor Kangxi learned of this, he asked the Empress for the prescription. The prescription was unremarkable, and even the imperial physicians could only tell that it was for strengthening the body.
There was absolutely no indication of smallpox prevention.
After all, the herbs used here are very inexpensive and affordable for ordinary people.
Upon learning that the Empress had personally taken the medicine, and after having the imperial physician examine it and confirming its health-strengthening effects, Emperor Kangxi also ordered the people of the Qianqing Palace to take it for three days.
No one knows where the trend started, but Fanghua didn't hide the prescription, and it quickly spread, with other palaces following suit.
Fanghua didn't care, but the commotion in the palace was quite significant, and people outside the palace noticed that something was wrong. Some of the emperor's close advisors managed to obtain a prescription.
Having learned that the imperial physician had verified its health-strengthening effects, and considering the low price of the herbs, he copied a document and took it back with him.
Since someone imitates it, once it happens, someone else will do it too.
In less than ten days, this health-strengthening formula spread throughout the capital.
Fanghua found out ten days later, because Xiaofeng excitedly ran over to tell her that it had actually received merit.
You should know that this thing is rare, and since it and its owner never consider cause and effect in their actions, but only whether it benefits themselves, the merit it accumulates is truly pitifully small.
But now, it has actually received a large sum of merit.
This caused its body to solidify again, so how could it not be agitated?
"Master, did you see that? My true form has become much more solid. Now I can swallow the dragon spirit in one gulp!" Little Phoenix was so excited that she immediately showed off to her master.
Fanghua never expected Xiaofeng to change so much. It was a third larger than its original form, and its feathers were dazzling.
Extremely gorgeous.
"Don't always bully the dragon spirit. It is now Yinreng's natal spirit. Don't do anything reckless, or Yinreng will cry to you when he grows up."
She was quite helpless. Xiao Feng was good in every way, except that he hadn't forgotten to eat the Dragon Spirit. The two were truly natural enemies.
"I was just saying, Master! I'm so happy! Merit! Master! I actually received merit!" Xiao Feng was so excited she almost cried.
Fanghua knew that it had suffered a lot of grievances with her. If it weren't for her, it wouldn't have been trapped in that phoenix seal and had its original spirit worn away.
"Do you know how merit is obtained?" Since merit can be obtained, shouldn't she also get more merit for Xiao Feng to make it happy?
Xiao Feng actually knew about this. "Master, I have to thank you for this. It was because you spread the prescriptions I gave you that you received merit." Thinking about the two useless prescriptions she had given, Xiao Feng felt a little embarrassed.
After all, it wasn't anything good; in its eyes, it was just a few prescriptions that weren't particularly sophisticated.
Its natal fire phoenix was born for alchemy, and pharmacology is only a small part of what it has inherited.
"A prescription?" Fanghua was taken aback, but quickly realized, "In that case, it is indeed a good thing, a merit you deserve." A smallpox prescription, indeed beneficial to the country and the people.
"Then I will have someone promote that formula widely, and your merits will likely increase even more." Fanghua was also happy for it.
This is naturally a good thing, and Xiao Feng would not refuse. "Thank you, Master. Do you still need the prescription? I have plenty here."
Fanghua smiled helplessly, "What you've given is enough, we don't need that much. I'll arrange this. Just stay by Chenghu's side for now, I'm afraid some people might get impatient."
She hadn't forgotten the man who brought smallpox into the palace. Whether it was to target her or her child, she wouldn't allow anything uncontrollable to appear in the palace.
"Yes, Master, rest assured, Xiao Feng will definitely protect the young master."
Yinreng was still young and stayed by her side the whole time, so he wasn't afraid of anyone reaching out to him.
With the dragon spirit protecting him, Yinreng is much safer than Chenghu.
"Okay, I'll treat you to something delicious later."
After getting rid of Xiaofeng, Fanghua began to promote the smallpox prevention formula.
This matter must be addressed from outside the palace. The palace is only so big; the merit one can gain from it is not much.
Besides, everyone in the palace has dirty hands; how much merit can they possibly have?
Then Xiao Dezi received a message from Fanghua.
Xiao Dezi was very surprised when he received the letter from his master. He did not expect that this health-strengthening formula would also have the effect of preventing smallpox.
He immediately sought out people to experiment, starting with those who had smallpox. Unfortunately, the results were mediocre; although the disease was somewhat controlled, it could not be cured.
So he found a healthy person to take the medicine and then went to contact the smallpox patient. He found that, just as his master had said, as long as the smallpox patient did not come into contact with the wound or enter the body, the smallpox could not infect the person who took the medicine.
Upon making this discovery, he immediately spread the word.
By the time Emperor Kangxi learned of it, the Empress's prescription for strengthening the body had already spread to cities around the capital, and people everywhere were shouting "Long live the Empress!" and "Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Kangxi only then learned that the tonic also had the effect of preventing smallpox.
He immediately sent someone to test it, and found that it was indeed as rumored, which greatly excited Kangxi.
They went to Kunning Palace that same day to inquire about the origin of the prescription.
Fanghua naturally pushed Wu Ming forward.
Emperor Kangxi was even more excited when he learned that it was developed by a folk doctor.
"As expected, there are many talented people among the common people. Your Majesty, you have made a great contribution to the Qing Dynasty this time." Emperor Kangxi praised the Empress with great excitement and rewarded her with many precious gifts.
This made many people in the harem envious.
The venomous snake, which had been hiding in the shadows, never expected that the Empress would have a prescription for preventing smallpox after it had just brought the disease into the palace.
She couldn't help but suspect that the Queen might know something.
A sudden chill ran through him, and all his previous plans were overturned. Things couldn't wait any longer, so while everyone was either happy or jealous, a smallpox outbreak occurred in an inconspicuous part of the palace.
It started with a few palace maids, but it gradually spread, and some concubines contracted smallpox. They were all people who had not been able to receive the medicine, so it was quite normal for them to be infected.
The concubines started it, followed by the palace women, and then a large-scale outbreak ensued.
This was something no one expected. Even Fanghua didn't expect that the person wasn't going to poison her, the empress, or any of the princes or grandsons, but rather to kill them all.
They were truly malicious.
This also made Fanghua realize that this smallpox incident had nothing to do with the harem, but was probably related to the previous dynasty.
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